Now playing: Englishman in New York by Sting
I made it a point to watch at least watch one Akira Kurosawa film for the week. As a movie fan, you really need to see at least one classic from this guy.
Rashomon (1950) is a story of 3 men: a woodcutter,a monk and a commoner, that was stranded in the shelters of the fallen Rashomon gate due to heavy rainfall. They talked about a crime committed by a bandit named Tajomaru and accounts what happened when the court summoned those involved in the story to give their testimonies and give their version of the "truth" behind the crime. The movie really doesn't have a defined ending as their account of the story was cut off by a crying infant behind the Rashomon gate. The 3 men argued when the commoner tried to steal the kimono and jewelry that came with the baby. The story ended with the woodcutter taking the baby with him when the rain stopped.
Aside from the symbolic representation and the artistic execution of the film, this film also gained popularity by being the first film in the 1950s (or at least in that era) to get a direct shot at the sun without over-exposing the film.
The film pretty much makes the viewer its jury and have you decide on your own version of truth which makes it overrated and subjective. Also, if you've already seen this film, what's up with the samurai's wife? Right? Is she supposed to be beautiful?!! She actually gave me the creeps when I was watching this film. I don't know if that's how a hot Japanese chick should be in their days. Anyways, just a thought I want to express.
Why watch this? Akira Kurosawa is a genius. The shots, scenes, story. This is a great start if you want to dig deep into his filmography.
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Last House on the Left (1972)
The original 1972 version of The Last House on the Left for me is one of Wes Craven's masterpiece before the Scream series, The Hills Have Eyes and Freddy Kreuger surfaced. By the way, he also created Wishmaster (bad move for him).
This is the story of 2 girls that went to the city to watch a concert. Mari and Phyllis tried to score pot but ended up bumping to 4 criminals (a psychopath, a killer, a rapist and a drunkard) that escaped out of prison. This is where their nightmares started as these criminals forced them to do awful things against their will. The fugitives decided to leave the state but ended up in the middle of the road due to a busted car engine. Little did they know that they were actually near where Mari lives. They took the girls to the woods to hide away and this gave Phyllis the chance to let Mari escape (knowing that Mari is near her home) by making a run for it and acting as a bait. This led to 3 of the fugitives chasing Phyllis and eventually killing her. Mari was able to escape but was shot by one of the criminals. After this, the 4 criminals tried to find a place to stay and ended up staying in Mari's house where they are welcomed by Mari's parents. Mari's parents eventually found out that these guys were responsible for their daughter's ordeal. They planned to kill and torture these criminals. The movie ended with Mari's mother and father successfully killing 3 of the criminals just before the police arrived.
Now, this film was controversial in the 1970s as it showed a few sensitive and taboo scenes. A number of scenes were deleted by local film reviewing committees due to the illicit sex scenes. In fact, based on research, it's hard to find an original full length copy of the film. Some recent DVD releases may include some of the scenes, but not all. One of the scenes removed from some copies was the complete forced lesbo action of Mari and Phyllis when they were taken to the woods.
One flaw I've seen this film (personal opinion) is the continuity and transition. There were some scenes that really didn't make sense as far as bridging it to the next scene is concerned. For example, from the time Mari was shot dead after being raped at the swamp to how the 4 fugitives ended up in Mari's house. I don't know if I've seen a f@#&$d up cut of the movie or if that's the real flow of scenes but it really doesn't patch it up well. Also, I really don't get the soundtrack! There were some scenes that the BGM really didn't fit the mold. I get the hippie-psychedelic folk songs but there were some that was really off. In fact, there were times that the BGM destroyed the mood of the scene (hear and see if for yourself).
Why watch this? I'm not a big Wes Craven fan but if you are, you must not miss this. Also, he's gutsy enough to pull this off in the 1970s. Back then, this is possibly one of the most disturbing films. Lastly, Sandra Cassel is one hot hippie. haha.
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Funny People
Funny People is a story of George Simmons, a famous comedian/actor. His focus and intentions in life changes when he learns that he has leukemia. While doing an act in a bar he crossed paths with an aspiring comedian and writer in Ira Wright. George offered Ira to be his writer and personal assistant. As Ira worked day to day with George, he becomes immersed with the lifestyle George has. It became an eye opener to Ira that George really has own personal issues amidst the A rank lifestyle he's in. He eventually ended up as a confidant of George. As the story goes on, George finds out that he has a chance of recovering from his present condition. However, this good news disrupts his intent to fix one of the messed up things he's done in the past.
Jude Appatow's formula of placing 2 top-of-the-food chain comedians of this time plus substantial scriptwriting gave him a good comedy/drama. He used a good mix of dark, blue and cringe comedy, as well as word play but not to the point where the serious stuff gets overpowered. Playing with witty punchlines and scenes but getting it back on track as far as plot is concerned. You can always count on Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen to deliver. Good supporting cast also with Jonah Hill, Eric Bana, Jason Schwartzman and Leslie Mann (which is usually seen in Adam Sandler films).
It 's also a great way to show what issues writers and comedians face each day both with work and their personal life. Behind the camera, these are your real wit-busting geniuses giving you that laugh.
(Sample punchline from the film)
George Simmons: So, Ira Wright? That's not your real name. You're hiding some Judaism.
Ira Wright: I don't think I can hide that. My face is circumcised.
Why watch this? If you've already seen this film, I'm not sure if you noticed it but this film actually plays for 146 minutes (more than 2 hours). Doesn't seem like it right? Great stuff. If you haven't seen this film yet, then that's the reason why you should watch this. Not a drag, good script and witty punchlines.
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In the Realm of the Senses
If you don't appreciate erotic films at all then please refrain from watching this movie. I've seen a number of erotic films and so far, this one is off the charts if we're going to talk about the urge of the flesh. The first 10 minutes of the film engages right away with nudity, sex related topics or carnal acts. From that point forward, it's a highway to adulterated sex escapade.
In the Realm of the Senses is a film directed by Nagisa Oshima. The story revolves around Sada Abe, a prostitute turned maid in a local inn. She fell in love with the master of the house named Kichizo Ishida. Ishida senses the attraction Sada had towards him. This led to a love affair between Sada and Ishida. What was once a sense of attraction and fixation suddenly turned into obsession as Sada got jealous to Ishida's wife and threatens him not to make love with his wife. They also tried torturing each other while making love to heighten-up the pleasure. The story ends with Sada asking Ishida to have sex with her even though he's already weakened (due to incessant love making). Ishida then fell asleep and as Sada was trying to stimulate him, she suddenly severs Ishida's penis and wrote in blood "Sada Kichi the two of us forever" on his chest.
Now, this movie really pushed me on the edge. I can estimate that at least 60% of the film is actually fornication. In fact, I got fed up with the sex scenes that I already found it a bit lousy. It even got me to take a coffee break while watching the film. It even made me flinch on some of the scenes, which rarely happens whenever I watch movies with the likes of this or even porn (at some points, I can consider porn winning on the "entertainment" criteria). I'm no expert when it comes to the never ending argument about what is still considered "artistic" or what goes beyond that. For me, it's as simple as this: If it pushes me off to my threshold, then there's something wrong with it.
In fairness to the film though, there are mentionable positive points. It introduces Sadomasochism to the viewer which is a taboo for most of us. Sadomasochism and other hedonistic acts in the film is related to Psychology (hail Mr. Freud!).This film also made me wonder if a man can physically stand to non-stop fornication as shown in this film (it made me do a little research of my own).
Why watch this? If Sodom and Gommorah still stands tall and proud, and they had their own Academy Awards, this one probably goes down in history. Seriously, I can't say that you should watch this if this is not your cup of tea. If you're conservative then don't go for this film. If you're looking for something that takes you to your edge, controversial and different then this is a fai...a goo.. well, I can't think of a proper word to describe it. Just try it if you're interested (which is how I bumped into this film).
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